Red Hook Crit 2016

I think if RHC is the flagship fixed crit race in the world then it should be attracting big, big names and perhaps only the very best amateurs should be able to compete. You don't see cat 3 racers complaining that they aren't competitive in Le Tour. People are basically complain because they want to feel like a big fish in a small pond.

If it was the only fixed crit series in the country, I'd understand wanting to keep it 'for the people', but it isn't, and a premier event should aspire to attracting the best. If you are a competitive amateur then go be competitive!

edit: self-correction - it's not like Dowsett riding club 10s. But the people who take the most offence to him when he does are still bitter arses.

Im surprised she (and other pros) are allowed by there team to race as UCI rules state anyone who has a UCI/BC etc license can't race in unsanctioned events. While this rule is largely ignored, wouldn't think it would be worth risking the wrath of sponsors if they were made an example of.
http://inrng.com/2013/04/forbidden-races-uci-rule/

The men's field is a lot larger so haven't heard anyone complain that pros race as the competition is good enough to still have closeish race, it'd be a shame for women to not bother entering as 50 quid to get lapped less than halfway isn't good value, and then you'll end up crushing that scene making a less interesting event with only a handful bothering to race.

Maybe there should be a Cat A final for past winners and pro's and a Cat B for everyone else. I believe Mr Trimble should make every attempt to keep RHC appealing to all levels.

I really enjoyed yesterday and Im looking forward to see how it progresses. I would highly recommend to marshalling to anyone. John @Ma3k and i spend 5 hrs on tenderhooks manning the most active corner of the whole course.

£50 for women to make the final and have two races is decent. 25% of the men got one qualifier and then a load of spectating.

Cookie crumbles bro.

Alleycats will be big in 2017

There's one thing I like about the RHC... ANYONE can enter and race, it's not just for the beasts who train hard like idiots for the year and smash other riders, it's for johnny on the spot as well... and yes, some of the London-based teams did make it through to the mens final so well done to them. Surly for this to grow, we need competition, the locals need to train like idiots to get tree trunk legs to compete with the pros, this is a race after all!

Who knows, those tree trunk legs might get you signed up for a pro deal as well.

Greetings folks,

Not really joining the debate, just giving a match report...

I went down to RHC on Saturday night. Got to Greenwich and with a bit of help from Marco ( give thanks) I made it to the circuit. Really well organised event - props to the organisers.

I saw loads of forumengers on a ridge above a right angled bend- the lfgss equivalent of Henman Hill / Murray Mount. I stayed on the straight between that bit and the previous bend. I didn't want to see any spills, just the thrills... so got a nice spot and managed to see the ladies and then the gents crit finals. Really awesome spectacle and great that forum thundercat / fixie types could mix it with the big girls / boys - one for those concerned to tell the grandchildren....

On the bend I was just after, there was a crew who every time the lead motorbike came round they gave him cheers and waves, each time slightly different - really funny and made the rider smile - great work...

Once the races finished I came home going round the path by the Thames back to Greenwich - a route featured on John Mack rides which seemed fitting.

Then rode home seeing Saturday night in full swing.

This was an awesome event people.

Peace and love,
Tim

There are too many "fixie crew" teams that are just out there to get some minor sponsorships and get a few ego wank selfies for instagram.

It's this but that really makes you sound like a bitter cunt.

Are you really that against grassroots participation that you slag off everyone involved?

Surprisingly enough, lots of the riders in smaller teams do it for the same reason lots of people went there - it's fun. If you can get someone to pay for your sunglasses and energy drinks while you're doing something you love, why wouldn't you?

It's the peanut butter sponsor that I'm jealous of.

With regards to the Dani King debate, I think if the gulf in class is going to be a feature of future events, they might need to rethink the rules around lapped riders.

There was a good race developing in the women's final, and watching a group of two get caught by an Olympic athlete just wasn't as fun as watching the bigger pack.

I didn't really like Dani King's showboating having just cut short a race that a lot of ordinary people had been working hard and getting really excited for. But lots of the crowd obviously loved it so I'm aware there are two sides.

Who has a peanut butter sponsor!?

This is kinda the deal in women's cycling, the fields are hugely varied ability wise. You can see the fast women lap other women at E123 crits.

TBH, I suspect a Geraint Thomas (suitable equiv of Dani King) would have solo lapped the mens field too, if he felt the urge.

V

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Wow I've really hit some nerves. I'm not against grass roots participation or especially sponsorship, I've been all the way through the band circuit.

I know what it means to hold down a full time job, have 5 hour band practice 4 times a week and then spend all weekend in a studio in the middle of nowhere on repeat.

What I'm now really confused about is that it seems to be totally fine for people to slag off Specialized who have a team made of riders that have worked their way up from the bottom like everyone else. I bet that makes them feel great.

^^£6 peanut butter seems a good bargain though.

Thing is Strickland isn't even the most 'pro' guy in the race. He's an environmental scientist - wasn't there a Cofidis pro and the Romanian Road race champion also racing?

Specialized use team tactics to win the race. They're a team of two - how many riders have Cinelli Chrome got? One of the Cinelli guys who came to the Nottingham Crit a couple of years ago spent the afternoon after the race smoking cigarettes!

At track nationals each year you get to mix it up against Olympians and the racing works out fine there.

Thing is Strickland isn't even the most 'pro' guy in the race. He's an environmental scientist - wasn't there a Cofidis pro and the Romanian Road race champion also racing?

Yes Cofidis were there! Also race winner C.Strickland has a full time job but that didn't stop my social media being covered with "#f--kspecialized" and "#f--kthepros". Bit of a shame really.

I was pretty drunk at the red hook, and while there I think I felt a lot of the same #fuckspecilized feelings that people have been expressing.

But in the morning I woke up and felt a bit of a dick for being so down on it all. It was an ace race, a lot of effort had clearly been put in and, for free, there's not many better sporting events in the capital imo. I'm fairly sure most of the racers were well aware that they wouldn't win too, and it seems like a lot of the complaints about pros isn't coming from racers but from spectators. Had i been racing, I would be really happy to have the chance to test myself against the best, even if I ended up getting whipped. That's just racing right?

Echoing above.

It was free - what's not to like
It was fixed gear - the purest form of cycling
It was brilliant !

Just tried to catch up on this thread after ignoring it for a while.

Whilst, on the day, I was a bit annoyed (as were the majority of women racers I spoke to as they got pulled off course halfway through a race) about how Dani King had lapped the entire field taking most of the enjoyment out of a hard fought race of even abilities and the dominance of Strickland in the men's race. On reflection, it just shows how far this particular event has progressed in a short space of time.

In fact, the UK is massively behind countries like the US and most of Europe in regards to fixed crit racing. There are some very strong UK based riders, but races are few and far between without spending tons of money on travelling all over Europe or over to America to compete. The top placed Vritish rider in the main race, Alec Briggs, rides for an Italian team with a huge budget and the 5th floor guys are always competitive without being full time pros.

Instead of bashing so called "fixie crews", why don't you respect what they're trying to achieve or let them enjoy what they're doing. You can choose to ignore them and do other things.

The UK scene really needs more support so it can grow to the same size or larger than it's more established neighbours. We've proved with Thundercrit that we can do these things on a shoestring budget, we can encourage riders of all abilities to come together and race and everyone can enjoy themselves in a more relaxed race environment. Red Hook Crit only rolls into town once a year and I'm happy that riders of all abilities embrace it. It's a massive media circus that helps these "fixie crews" gain support or sponsorship that in turn enables them to enter/create more races.

I've probably missed a lot of points that might need addressing, but my lunch break is nearly over and I need to get some training in between work and family commitments too.

Why do fixie crews need sponsorship? Genuine Q.

Last sentence on the second to last paragraph...

I know you're probably just on a wind up, but you obviously know how much racing actually costs and that it can restrict people getting into racing that really want to race more. I don't think people actually appreciate how much hard work goes on behind the scenes.

I've personally worked my bollocks off for the last year, arranging team stuff, organising races and attracting sponsorship to allow me to provide the team with some kit and help me reward racers with prizes at our events. Nothing comes for free, it's all hard earned.

Is that not obvious.

Ha! All you said = so true